Damp Ground and Pondside Plants

Pondside plants thrive in moist and damp soil conditions prone to water-logging. Plant these around the edge of your pond, anywhere in a bog garden or in a frequently flooded area. These plants are otherwise known as bog-plants and are not necessarily aquatic, however thrive in wet conditions. Try the Iris Sibirica for moist and damp soil, Slender Tufted Sedge for streams or Mimulus Guttatus for vibrant perennial groundcover ideal for rock gardens.

Need help picking?
Pond plants (157) Water irises (20)Water lilies (43)Ferns (34)Pond grasses (16)Oxygenating pond plants (13)
  • Water Forget-Me-Not | Myosotis scorpioides Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Water Forget-Me-Not | Myosotis scorpioides

    Clusters of blue with sunny yellow centres

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Long flowering from May to September
    • A prolifically flowering native plant

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Pond Plants for Wildlife Collection Pond Plants
    From £36
    From £36

    Pond Plants for Wildlife Collection

    Plants to attract wildlife to a smaller pond

    • Expertly curated for the perfect mix of varieties
    • Hardy, easy-care perennials
    • Includes flowers and foliage in a range of heights and colours
    • Create a natural habitat for bees, dragonflies, fish and birds

    4 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Purple Loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Purple Loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria

    Eyecatching magenta blooms

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grows best in full sun
    • Flowers from July to September
    • Spectacular tall pink blooms

    6 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Premium Fern Collection Pond Plants
    £45
    £45

    Premium Fern Collection

    The perfect collection of stylish ferns

    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Brings a range of texture to your space
    • A variety of complementary colours
    • Ideal for damp ground and shady borders

    1 option available

    Trustpilot
  • Marsh Marigold Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Marsh Marigold

    Heart shaped leaves, loved by bees

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grows best in full sun to partial shade
    • Flowers during March and April
    • A native plant which is highly attractive to pollinators

    6 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Iris pseudacorus Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Yellow Flag Iris | Iris pseudacorus

    The UK native flag iris

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to July
    • Grow in shallow water, beds or borders

    4 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Ornamental Colour Collection Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Colourful Pond Plants Collection | Grower's Choice

    Colourful plants for a beautiful pond

    • Everything you need for year-round colour
    • Expertly curated plants in a variety of colours, types and sizes
    • Hardy, easy care perennials that really make a splash!
    • The easy way to brighten up your pond

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Water Mint | Mentha aquatica Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Water Mint | Mentha aquatica

    Aromatic and colourful

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grows well in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from July right through to October
    • Aromatic and attractive native plant

    2 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Dwarf Hairgrass| Oxygenating Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Oxygenating Dwarf Hairgrass | Eleocharis acicularis

    The brightest, greenest grass!

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Suitable for growing in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from August to September
    • Keeps your pond healthy and clean

    5 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia

    Buttercup yellow flowers

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Plant in full sun to partial shade
    • Summer flowering from June to August
    • A native plant highly attractive to pollinators

    1 option available

    Trustpilot
  • Iris louisiana 'Black Gamecock' Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Iris louisiana 'Black Gamecock'

    Giant flowers in deepest purple

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to July
    • Moisture loving plant perfect for pond margins

    2 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Pickerel Rush | Pontederia cordata Pond Plants
    From £40
    From £40

    Pickerel Weed | Pontederia cordata

    Tall, free-flowering rushes

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Loves a sunny spot
    • Free flowering from July to September
    • RHS Award of Garden Merit winner

    1 option available

    Trustpilot
  • Corkscrew Rush | Juncus effusus spiralis Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Corkscrew Rush | Juncus effusus spiralis

    Eyecatching spirals of foliage

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Attracts wildlife including dragonflies
    • A must for any small pond

    2 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Cuckoo Flower Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Cuckoo Flower | Cardamine pratensis

    Ferny foliage dotted with pink

    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Partial shade to full shade
    • Flowers from April to June
    • A native plant ideal for a wildlife garden

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • White Robin Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    White Robin

    Star shaped snow white flowers

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Happy in full sun or partial shade
    • Spring-Summer flowering from May to August
    • A low maintenance plant ideal for wildlife gardens

    5 options available

    Trustpilot
  • 3 Best Water Lily Plants For Any Size Pond | Growers Choice Pond Plants
    From £60
    £90 From £60

    Best Water Lily Plants for Any Size Pond | Growers' Choice

    The finishing touch for a beautiful pond

    • Zone 3 - deep water plants
    • Fill your pond with gracefully floating flowers
    • Our growers' best and brightest lilies for any size of pond
    • Provides shelter for pondlife and attracts pollinators

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Soft Rush | Juncus effusus Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Soft Rush | Juncus effusus

    Fans of tall emerald green

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Best grown in full sun
    • Arching fans of emerald green stems
    • Makes an ideal perch for dragonflies

    6 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Slender-tufted sedge Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Slender-tufted sedge

    The ideal perch for dragonflies

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to August
    • A native plant ideally suited to ponds and streams

    5 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Ragged Robin Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Ragged Robin

    Tall stems of rose-pink pompoms

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to August
    • A native plant attractive to bees and butterflies

    5 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Mimulus cupreus | Red Emperor Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Mimulus cupreus | Red Emperor

    Brilliant red trumpet-shaped flowers

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grows best in full sun
    • Summer flowering from June to August
    • A compact, colourful plant to attract pollinators

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Pennyroyal | Mentha pulegium Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Pennyroyal | Mentha pulegium

    Mint-scented foliage with lilac blooms

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grows well in full sun or partial shade
    • Long flowering from July to October
    • A compact Mint with lilac flowers

    1 option available

    Trustpilot
  • Cotula coronopifolia | Brass Buttons Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Cotula coronopifolia | Brass Buttons

    Dozens of little button-shaped flowers

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Thrives in full sun
    • Long flowering season from May to October
    • A colourful, low maintenance plant for pond margins

    5 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Cyperus Sedge | Carex Pseudocyperus Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Cyperus Sedge | Carex pseudocyperus

    Bright tufts of lime green to attract the dragonflies

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Plant in sun or partial shade in the pond margins
    • Flowers from May to August
    • A UK native plant, beneficial to wildlife

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Variegated Slender Sweet Flag | Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus' Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Variegated Slender Sweet Flag | Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus'

    Easy care, vibrant and versatile

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Narrow, sword shaped leaves outlined in creamy yellow
    • Compact and perfect for pots
    • Best colours are produced in full sun

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Geum rivale | Water Avens Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Geum rivale | Water Avens

    Long-flowering rosewood bells

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Grows best in full sun or partial shade
    • Long flowering from May to September
    • A native plant to attract bees and butterflies

    4 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Pendulous sedge Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Pendulous sedge

    A graceful, native sedge

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from July to August
    • A native plant perfect for ponds and wildlife gardens

    6 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Mimulus guttatus | Yellow Monkey Flower Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Mimulus guttatus | Yellow Monkey Flower

    Golden yellow snapdragon-shaped flowers

    • Zone 2 - Pond Edges
    • Needs a position in full sun
    • Flowers all summer from June to August
    • Perfect for a wet, sunny spot in your garden

    5 options available

    Trustpilot

Enfield

Meet Caroline

A deep dive into sustainable gardening

Nestled amongst wildlife meadows and resident ducks, Caroline’s award winning pond plant nursery in Enfield has been making a splash since 1965, when they invented the (recycled, obvs) aquatic basket. Sixty years and multiple RHS gold medals later, they’re still surprising us with new varieties every year!

Need help picking?

What is a bog garden?

What is a bog garden?

If you don’t have a pond, but rather a perennially damp and boggy garden – or if you do have a pond but are looking to plant up the surrounding area – then you’re going to be needing very particular plants; plants that love consistently moist (even wet) soil but don’t like being submerged or planted in open water. Bog gardening, as it’s often referred to, offers an effective way to make good use of a sunken, sodden area of the garden that’s especially prone to waterlogging.

Our picks for pondside and moisture-loving plants

Our picks for pondside and moisture-loving plants

For your pondside/bog garden planting scheme, you want to choose a mixture of flowering and foliage plants, and what better place to start than with the iconic woodland classic, the cowslip (Primula veris). Other primulas, like bee’s primrose, (Primula beesiana) orchid primrose (Primula vialii) and Bulley’s primrose (Primula bulleyana) also all grow well in damp conditions. Other flowering plants to consider include the cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) and dragonwort (Persicaria bistorta). From a foliage perspective, ferns, hostas, heucheras and acorus plants are all hardy perennials that tolerate damp to wet soil.

Care tips

Care tips

The key thing to remember is that these plants need a lot of moisture. If you’ve decided you just like the look of these plants and want them in your regular beds or borders, then you’ll need to keep a close eye that they don’t dry out, and give them a regular watering – particularly in dry summers. Full to partial sun is preferable and you should look to plant during the springtime. Bog plants like a nice, rich soil so mulching with organic matter like leafmould can be beneficial.

Happy plants make happy customers

Trustpilot
Ornamental Colour Collection Pond Plants
five star rating on Trustpilot

Plants arrived in great condition and very promptly. Well established - much better than the ones I got at my local garden centre.

Monica Spence

| 24 May
Star Jasmine | Trachelospermum jasminoides Climbing Plants
five star rating on Trustpilot

Yet again this company delivered good healthy plants, exactly as shown in photos, well packaged and within delivery time quoted. Recommend!

Jacqueline Burgess

| 2 Jun
five star rating on Trustpilot

I continue to be so impressed with Roots. Their customer care, knowledge of their subject: from planting hedges to pruning roses and more, has been a great support.

Judy Lane

| 23 Oct
E 'Black Hamburgh' Indoor Grape Vine Soft Fruit
five star rating on Trustpilot

The plant arrived looking vigorously healthy, which brings a smile to your face, extremely well protected in its packaging.

Martyn Hill

| 5 Jul
E 'Braeburn Hillwell' Apple Tree Fruit Trees
five star rating on Trustpilot

As a non-gardener, I found my whole experience brilliant. Great information & advice available on the website, great range of products & prices are brilliant.

John-Paul

| 22 May
five star rating on Trustpilot

Wonderful plants and great customer service... really surprised to find that the plants are better than those you would get at your local garden centre.

Gavin Wilcock

| 8 Nov

Fighting plastic waste

Delivering fresh from the nursery

Supporting UK growers